Eagle Paint of Englewood buys Norton Paint in Paramus

Andrew Zarian, left, and Frank McCoy at Norton Paint, where much of the staff will remain as the Norton and Eagle Paint and Wallpaper stores join.

* Norton will keep its name as Englewood retailer Eagle takes over operations

Norton Paint, a Paramus landmark since the 1960s, has been bought by Eagle Paint and Wallpaper of Englewood, another long-established Bergen County business, for an undisclosed price.

Norton Paint ran into trouble during the economic downturn, according to former co-owner Carl Shaw, who is now working at Eagle Paint.

"It just became too difficult to navigate," said Shaw, 59, who had bought Norton Paint with his brother, Joseph, from John Norton in 2003. "Retail is extremely wearing on you, with 60- and 70-hour weeks. Between that and the constant struggles with the economy, it was time for me to turn it over to someone who can grow the business."

Joe Pisarri Sr. of Eagle Paint, whose father opened the store in 1948, said Norton was a good fit with Eagle. The stores are 10.5 miles apart.

"Mr. Norton built his business on service and color, and my father did the same thing," said Pisarri, 57. The Norton purchase is the first time Eagle has bought another store. "This would be the only one that ever had any interest for me, because of the reputation the store had," Pisarri said. He said except for Joseph Shaw and a couple of part-timers, most of the Norton staff stayed with the store after the purchase.

He said joining the two stores "has helped both businesses" in an environment where they must compete with other paint chains, as well as big-box stores such as The Home Depot.

"It's very competitive out there," Pisarri said. His store offers Benjamin Moore paints as well as high-end lines such as Farrow & Ball and Pratt & Lambert. Eagle also sells wallpaper, window treatments and color matching and consulting services.

Norton Paint, which is keeping its name, is now managed by Frank McCoy, a former Benjamin Moore salesman who worked with both companies in the past. About 15 people work in each store.

John Norton started selling paint out of a concession in a Paramus supermarket in 1963, according to Shaw. A few years later, he moved to his own store on Route 17, specializing in Benjamin Moore paints. Carl and Joseph Shaw started working at the store around 1980.